The Gordon Research Conference on Barrier Function of Mammalian Skin is a biannual event, scheduled for its eighth meeting from August 3-8, 2003, at Roger Williams College, Bristol, Rhode Island. This conference is mostly fully- to-over-subscribed, which makes it possible to accept an optimal mix of attendees from academics, industry and government. Junior and senior scientists are equally represented (about 50% females), and 40-50% of attendees are from overseas. As in prior meetings, a concerted attempt is being made to recruit speakers and attendees from around the world for the 2003 meeting, particularly from Eastern Europe, Asia, and the FSU (Former Soviet Union). The 2003 conference proposes a balance of topics, with individual sessions devoted to: skin disorders and barrier function, gene therapy of skin, drug delivery, mechanism of stratum corneum formation, desquamation and barrier function, stratum corneum lipid organization, vesicles mechanism of action, the skin as an immune organ, and new perspectives. In addition, four poster sessions are scheduled for the late afternoon, with up to 30 presentations each, which will complement the diverse themes of this meeting. Funds are requested to support a portion of the total expenses (conference fees and/or travel); the remainder will be supported by a $22,000 grant from GRC, with additional sums solicited from industry, primarily to support foreign travel and social activities. The 2003 GRC meeting on Barrier Function of Mammalian Skin will be an important interdisciplinary venue, where the latest information will be shared. It will hopefully lead to immediate, practical consequences for patients with skin and other disorders as well as to new insights into the origin and maintenance of mammalian barrier function.